Detroit Off Topic

[Allan]

The last cement silo on the east riverfront came crashing down about 6:30pm today. There was a large boom that we heard, and driving by later we noticed that it was gone.

My friend tells me that the Medusa letters from the top were saved, but nobody seems to know who has them.

[wolverine]

Medusa is a name under Cemex right? I suppose Cemex would build new silos elsewhere and put the sign back up? It really is a cool sign.

[wolverine]

How about this for the Hudsons block.

I figured we could just rebuild it the same way and put an identical sign. I'm sure Rock Financial wouldn't mind.

LOL.... rooight

[Allan]

Medusa is a name under Cemex right? I suppose Cemex would build new silos elsewhere and put the sign back up? It really is a cool sign.

I think so, but I'm not 100% certain. I'll ask my friend when I see him at lunch today...he would know.

[RustTown]

I think I remember Cemex saying they were simply moving their operation further downriver...

[statedude3]

Okay, I might be just stupid here, but I'm going to make this post anyway...

Looking at the Campus Martius webcam, there appears to be dirt in Cadillac Square Park. Is that just dead grass, or has the sod from last summer been removed? Sorry if this is a crazy question, but it was just a quick observation, as I have not been downtown in a couple weeks.

[wolverine]

The sod is supposed to be ripped up in the near future, as the new and improved Cadillac square has not be built yet. Does someone have a picture of the plan for it?

[Zissou]

Best i could find.

[statedude3]

The sod is supposed to be ripped up in the near future, as the new and improved Cadillac square has not be built yet. Does someone have a picture of the plan for it?

Well, I guess instead of digging up the Cadillac Square thread, I'll just ask it here...any timeline yet for getitng this done? CSP looks really boring with just a wide median in the middle. I heard that a fountain was being moved to this location (appears to be the Bagley based on the image above). fact or fiction? Personally, I think it would be neat to have the Merrill Fountain here, placed parallel to the road, and so people could sit on the grass around it's basin. Though I have no clue if the median is wide enough for this.

edit: nevermind, I just saw pictures of the back side of the fountian, and now realize that this is impossible, due to the basin on the back side of the wall.

Edited March 14, 2006 by statedude3

[Zissou]

It is supposed to be the Bagley fountain.

[statedude3]

I'm not sure if anyone here has explored Detroit using Windows Live Local. It's kinda like google earth/mapquest/maps.google.com, etch with a satellite image from overhead. However, there is a birds eye view feature, that is awesome at capturing arial pictures from around the downtown area. Photos are high res and views are possible from all 4 cardinal directions. It does take a little bit of getting used to orienting through the interface. Though it is slightly outdated (appears to be summer '05 (statler demo, YMCA construction as evidence) I still played with this for about 5 hours, nonstop. High speed internet is an absolute must. Enjoy!!

local.live.com

Edited March 15, 2006 by statedude3

[tapezord]

I knew this wasn't far away, but IN FREAKIN CREDIBLE

Your Move, Google!

[Ramcharger]

Though it is slightly outdated (appears to be summer '05 (statler demo, YMCA construction as evidence)

I love Google Earth. I'll have to check this out thoroughly to see how it compares. I'd say it's several years earlier than 2005, however. In the overheads I was viewing both Compuware Headquarters and Ford Field are still under construction.

[statedude3]

I love Google Earth. I'll have to check this out thoroughly to see how it compares. I'd say it's several years earlier than 2005, however. In the overheads I was viewing both Compuware Headquarters and Ford Field are still under construction.

I think the birds eye view is more recent than the arial/satellite image. Actually, each cardinal direction is a from a different day, as I determined while viewing the statler demolition progress from different angles. Here is a screenshot that I took of the Penobscot Building. Ignore the red box, I just used that to illustrate my future office space to someone.

[hudkina]

that's is awesome. For a while they only had the views of the Grand Circus/Foxtown area.

[Ramcharger]

For some reason the "Bird's Eye View" is unavailable. Perhaps I need to update the software. Does anyone know the url for updates?

[statedude3]

For some reason the "Bird's Eye View" is unavailable. Perhaps I need to update the software. Does anyone know the url for updates?

It is only available in certain areas--Anywhere from Grand Blvd south to the river works for me.

[wolverine]

This is tight! My friends and I are up here in the arch studio assembling the images in InDesign. We inted to print a massive image of it out.

[Zissou]

Does it show anything at night. I think that would be pretty cool.

[Allan]

This past week there were more workers at the Fine Arts Building. They also sandblasted all the black crap off that was left around the front entrance when they pulled off the black stone before the Super Bowl. I also noticed a dumpster parked outside the UA, but I haven't seen anybody working there.

The C.C. Bar on Cass at Columbia is being cleaned out now. I've seen workmen in there pretty much every day for the last week or so hauling out rusted chairs and tables, and quite a bit of random debris. I did not stop to talk to them, but it looks like something will be happening there soon.

In Highland Park I noticed workmen on the roof of the McGregor Public Library. I'm not sure what they were doing, but it's good to see that they aren't just letting the building rot away to nothing, even though the city doesn't have money to keep it open.

[RustTown]

I really wonder when we are going to see Highland Park turn around? It is near a point that if the population continues to decline, there will literally be no one left. I hope the new housing that is being built pays off, though I'd wish they'd get away with trying to build these new houses on such large lots. A physically small city like Highland Park, especially, can not get away with trying to bring the suburbs to the city. This can be compromised in a much larger city at Detroit with huge tracts of empty land to develop all different styles and function of housing, but every last piece of land in Highland Park must be maximized if they hope to rebuild the tax base.

I would hope they would take an incredibly active role in trying to catch some of Hamtramck's immigrant spillover. That really is the difference between the two, at the moment. Immigrants are what saved Hamtramck from the fate HP has experienced.

Edited March 19, 2006 by Lmichigan

[Allan]

Highland Park is reaching a point where everyone who can afford to leave has left. I don't think it can get much worse than it already has. Take a drive up Hamilton and look at all the abandoned buildings, some of which are literally collapsing out onto the sidewalk...or the countless burned out houses. Parts of the city resemble a war zone.

A lot of the new developments are suburban in nature. Suburban-style living is seen as an improvement, I guess. Then again, in Highland Park, it could be argued that just about anything is an improvement.

[RustTown]

I wonder if in 20 years Highland Park will be a low-density, suburban-styled city of about 10,000? That's the direction it seems to be going in. I don't even think they know what they are shooting for, which can be a huge problem. Does anyone know if they have a masterplan? If not, that would be something crucial for them to have, regardless of whether the enclave heads toward a suburban layout, or and a more urban one.

[Allan]

I don't believe that they have a master plan. I'm sure they just approve pretty much every development that is proposed. The city definitely has a "we'll take whatever we can get" attitude when it comes to development. I did go lookup some info once at the city offices. I was trying to find out who owned a few buildings that have always fascinated me. I went there with the addresses, and they pretty much told me that they had no idea for two of the buildings - there were not any records of the buildings' existance! Their records are a mess!

The city's website has not been updated since April 2005, apparently. http://cityofhighlandpark.org/

The crappy strip mall development that my friend did some work for about 3 or 4 years ago still does not have all the spaces leased. That development was the only building permit pulled in Highland Park that year, too. What's even worse is that the development is located right on Woodward. That is just sad....

[RustTown]

Model T Plaza is so far incredibly set back from Woodward. I don't even get it, at all. In fact, the setback is worse than in some of the sprawlburbs, and especially for a shopping plaza that size. I wonder why they built it so incredibly far back from Woodward? Either that, or my memory is bad and it isn't as far back as I think it is.